SD Association Debuts New Interface For 300Mbps SDXC And SDHC Cards

"Fast" never really is "fast enough," is it? In the computer realm,
that's almost always true. In the Flash memory market, that's definitely
true. Regardless of how quick your interface is, it's always annoying
to sit and wait for transfers, particularly large ones, to complete. The
SD Association is really making a name for itself lately, and the SD
card looks to be slowly making a play for becoming the go-to format,
even for professionals.

Not long ago, SDXC was announced as the next generation Secure Digital
memory card format. For many, having access to up to 2TB on a card with
transfer rates as high as 100Mbps was plenty, but like we said, fast is
never fast enough. At the IFA trade show, the SD Association announced a
new, dual-row pin memory card design achieving bus interface speeds of
up to 300 megabytes per second for SDXC and SDHC devices and memory
cards. It is fully backwards compatible, allowing equipped devices full
use of
any SD, SDHC and SDXC memory cards.

Here's how the new interface works. These new high speed signals will be
assigned on the second row of pins of select SDXC and SDHC memory cards
offering the new speed, which leaves the top row there for backwards
compatibility. This option will be available in both full-size and micro
form factors
and does not change the physical size or shape of the cards, and the
release explains that the new design will be part of the forthcoming SD
4.0 specification, expected in early 2011.

On one hand, it may get confusing in the coming year deciding which SD
card to choose, but we'd rather have more options when push comes to
shove.

SD Association Reveals New Memory Card Design for Incredibly Fast CardsDual-row pin memory card design for SDXC and SDHC confirmed as Association continues development of the next SD 4.0 standard.

BERLIN, Sept. 2 /PRNewswire/ -- IFA Hall 17, Booth 128 -- The SD Association announced today it has defined a new, dual-row pin memory card design achieving bus interface speeds of up to 300 megabytes per second for SDXC and SDHC devices and memory cards. It is fully backwards compatible, allowing equipped devices full use of any SD, SDHC and SDXC memory cards.

New high speed interface signals will be assigned on the second row of pins of select SDXC and SDHC memory cards offering the new speed. This option will be available in both full-size and micro form factors and does not change the physical size or shape of the cards. This design will be part of the forthcoming SD 4.0 specification, expected in early 2011.

"Our innovative dual-row pin design ultimately lets consumers using equipped products to manage the massive storage capacity found on SDXC memory cards at incredible speeds," said Norm Frentz, chairman of the SD Association. "SD can now support high definition video from Hollywood movie studios, television broadcasts, or HD videos taken on your latest vacation. SD is a very popular, extremely portable and easy-to-use storage medium that has enhanced the enjoyment and portability of music, photos and data. The Association remains committed to helping consumers maintain the value, usefulness and longevity of all of their SD products."

At IFA, the Association is displaying new and exciting products based on SDXC, its latest standard. Attendees will see more than 40 products from 18 different global brands including memory cards, HD digital cameras, HD video cameras, HD televisions, e-books, card readers, controllers and developer kits.

Several of the products on display feature the recently announced Ultra High Speed (UHS) UHS-I and UHS Speed Class high-speed capabilities. UHS-I technology is found exclusively on SDXC and SDHC products. It offers faster bus-interface speeds, with data transfer speeds up to 104 megabytes per second. The new UHS Speed Class 1 technology offers a performance option designed to support real-time video recording. Consumers can realize the full potential of these technologies by pairing their devices and memory cards.

The Association has created two videos showing optimized uses for the variety of SD memory cards available today at www.sdcard.org/videos. It also offers an online resource, www.sdcard.org/cardchoice, for users to explore the variety of SD memory cards types for new and existing devices.

SD Association

The SD Association is a global ecosystem of more than 1,000 technology companies charged with setting interoperable SD standards. The association encourages the development of consumer electronic, wireless communication, digital imaging and networking products that utilize market-leading SD technology. The SD standard is the number one choice for consumers and has earned nearly 80 percent of the memory card market with its reliable interoperability and its easy-to-use format. Today, mobile phones, Blu-ray players, HDTVs, audio players, automotive multimedia systems, handheld PCs, digital cameras and digital video cameras feature SD interoperability. For more information about SDA or to join, please visit the association's web site, www.sdcard.org.